Tuesday, June 30, 2015

We as a society often look to historical figures and
pop culture icons for inspiration. As a result, one of the most popular forms
of storytelling in modern film making is the biography. One of the increasingly
popular trends in the sometimes stale genre is the musical biography, which
uses song and dance to incorporate additional depth and emotional resonance
into stories that otherwise, by their very nature, follow a predictable
structure. While it is a risk to blend such divergent genres, this week’s toe
tapping subject, Jersey Boys, manages
to not only blend, but transcend the trappings of both genres to tell the story
of the rise, fall, and redemption of one of modern music’s most enduring
groups, the Four Seasons.

A group you won't be able to take your eyes off of

The story begins in 1951 with group members Frankie
Valli (John Lloyd Young), Tommy DeVito (Vincent Piazza), and Nick Massi (Michael Lomenda) along with Tommy’s younger brother, Nicky (Johnny Cannizzaro),
forming their own doo-wop group. Despite their musical aspirations, the
foursome find themselves spending more time dodging police and rotating in and
out of prison than rehearsing, as they are increasingly drawn into the criminal
element of their notoriously tough New Jersey neighborhood. The group continues
on in their roller-coaster existence until Nicky leaves the group and Tommy’s
friend, a still unknown Joe Pesci (Joseph Russo), suggests that they contact teen songwriting
sensation Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen). After hearing Frankie sing just one song the initially hesitant Gaudio
joins the act and the Four Seasons as they are best known are born. The film
then chronicles the group’s rise after years of struggle and the devastating
fall that comes when financial debt, in-fighting, and life in the spotlight
threatens to tear them apart.

While the film covers the themes and plot points
familiar to the biography, the characters’ gritty backstory and complex personalities
elevates the story to an almost Shakespearean tale of honor, friendship,
betrayal and redemption. Although Hollywood is notorious for sanitizing and
glorifying real-life figures in its fictional portrayals, Jersey Boys not only acknowledges, but explores the ways in which
the Four Seasons were shaped and nearly destroyed by the bonds and habits that they
carried with them from their years in the neighborhood. From their beginnings
as juvenile delinquents to their eventual breakup at the height of their
success after a mob deal gone wrong, the film spares its characters from no
ugly incidents or painful memories. Each of the band’s members demonstrate a
variety of flaws and make their fair share of mistakes and questionable
decisions. Whether it’s living beyond their means, neglecting their families to
party on the road, or fraternizing with all too available groupies, none of the
band’s members are immune to the lure of life in the fast lane. Rather than
alienating audiences, the band’s faults serve to show them as multi-faceted people
whom audiences can recognize and relate to rather than unattainable celebrities.
As a result, the audience is able to invest in the band’s journey and root for its
success, regardless of whether they are long-time listeners or casual viewers. The
film’s incorporation of the band’s music highlights also the story’s highs and
lows without ever becoming intrusive. When the band first starts performing, for
instance, the audience is able to see is potential, but can easily imagine the
long road that it will take for it to reach that potential. Similarly,
the use of such fan favorites as “Sherry”, “Walk Like a Man”, and “Can’t Take My
Eyes Off Of You” transports viewers into the world of both the band and the
culture early 1960’s America that they inhabit. As a result, viewers are drawn
into both the inner and public lives of each band member in such a way as to
highlight both their unique success and universal struggles.

You can take the group out of the neighborhood...

Despite the story’s intriguing premise, the film would
not have become the dynamic crowd-pleaser that it is without a cast who could
adequately bring it to life. The cast, largely members of the original Broadway
cast, turn in performances that combine raw emotion with a subtle understanding
of their roles that ensure the film makes a successful transition to the screen.
John Lloyd Young successfully tackles the difficult task of performing in
Frankie Valli’s falsetto style without resorting to blatant mimicry, all while
imbuing his performance with equal parts sensitivity and street-wise charm.
Vincent Piazza nearly steals the film in his portrayal of the rakish Tommy, whose
con-man charm endears him to audiences despite his reckless behavior. Michael
Lomenda and Erich Bergen hold their own in the less flashy roles of Nick and
Bob and round out the foursome with performances that are equal parts
intelligent, comic, and emotionally honest. The supporting cast lend apt
support with Christopher Walken and Mike Doyle particularly standing out as the
mobster who first notices the group’s talent and the manager who brings them
mainstream success.

Both an entertaining musical and an effective
biography, Jersey Boys has the best qualities
of both genres and more. Rather than focusing upon one individual, the film
tells the story of each band member in a way that shows how the ways in which their
paths both intersected and separated influenced each other’s lives. At
once a rags to riches Cinderella story and a cautionary warning against the
high cost of fame, the film is a truly dynamic tale of what matters most when
the spotlights fade. Break out your records and put on your dance shoes for an
experience that will leave you humming, and reflecting long after the final
credits roll.

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Father’s Day was first celebrated in 1910 in Spokane
Washington, two years after the first celebration of Mother’s Day. Like its
predecessor, the event eventually went on to be observed by all fifty US states
and is now considered a fully-fledged holiday that is promoted through national
media. Ironically, the holiday’s greatest resistance has historically come from
the very men it is meant to celebrate, who often dismissed the holiday as
commercialism or sentimentality. This week, I’ll be honoring the fathers in our
readership with three films that highlight the importance of fatherhood without
resorting to gimmicks or clichés.

Birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim...can't help lovin' that dad of mine

Finding
Nemo: This 2003 Disney/Pixar film put the ‘family’ back into
‘family entertainment’. The story follows the parallel journeys of father and
son clownfish Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Nemo (Alexander Gould) as they
struggle to find their independence while finding their way back to each other.
The film begins with anxiety-ridden Marlin raising only child Nemo after the
death of his wife, Coral (Elizabeth Perekins). Following the brutal death of Coral
and their eggs, Marlin vows to protect his son at any cost; even if it means
coddling Nemo to the point that their relationship verges on codependence.
After Nemo is captured by scuba divers during a school field trip (his first
real experience away from his father’s care) Marlin dives into action, and with
the help of memory impaired blue tang, Dory (Ellen Degeneres), journeys across
the Tasman Sea to Sydney to find his missing son. Father and son quickly learn
about the dangers of life beyond their sheltered anemone home as Nemo is held
captive in a dentist office aquarium and Marlin encounters fish-addicted
sharks, deadly jellyfish, and a gluttonous whale. Through their trials they also
learn, however, about all of the joys and thrills that they’ve been missing out
on and all of the courage and resilience that they never realized they
possessed. Over the course of both their journeys, Marlin and Nemo ultimately learn
to see things from each other’s perspective as Nemo experiences firsthand the
dangers that his father tried to warn him about, and Marlin finally learns that
there is a time to hold a child’s hand and a time to finally let go. With its
dazzling visuals that transport viewers to the vibrant world lying beneath the
ocean surface, this film is a must see for fans of the art of animation as well
as Disney and Pixar devotees. Through a sense of humor that appeals equally to
adults and children and universal lessons that will resonate long after the
cinema lights fade, Finding Nemo
truly is entertainment of the highest order for the whole family.

Who needs movies with a one-man-show in the family?

Man
of a Thousand Faces: Hollywood biographies, while prestige
projects that often go on to become Oscar contenders, all too often fall into
the trap of relaying recycled themes and familiar story arcs while trying to
highlight the life of a unique individual. One biography that breaks this mold,
however, is the 1957 biography Man of a
Thousand Faces. Although the film does chronicle the early life, struggles,
and eventual success of its protagonist, famed silent horror star Lon Chaney
(James Cagney), the film emphasizes themes beyond the usual struggle, success,
and redemption themes by focusing upon Chaney’s troubled home life and his greatest
role of all as a dedicated father. The film begins with the recently married
Chaney working in vaudeville alongside his actress wife, Cleva (Dorothy
Malone), as the pair struggle to make names for themselves on the stage. The
film then shifts its focus from his professional life to his complicated
personal one when Cleva announces that she is pregnant and insists upon meeting
Lon’s family before their baby is born. The painful reason behind his keeping
his family hidden is revealed when Cleva meets Mr. and Mrs. Chaney (Nolan Leary
and Celia Lovsky), both of whom are deaf and mute. Horrified by her in-laws
disability and terrified that her child may be born with the same handicap,
Cleva becomes furious with Lon for hiding his family’s secret and threatens to
have an abortion. He eventually persuades her to have the baby, who is born
perfectly healthy, but she proves ill-suited to motherhood and leaves the
majority of the parenting duties to him. When their son, Creighton (played by
four actors at varying ages), is still a toddler she insists upon returning to
the stage, even though it means working as a second-rate singer in a sleazy
nightclub, and leaves the boy backstage at Lon’s performances while she works
nights and sleeps most of the day. The couple reach their breaking point when
Lon learns of Cleva’s affair with a wealthy patron and Cleva suspects that
Lon’s platonic friendship with sympathetic showgirl Hazel (Jane Greer) is
something more. In an attempt to bring his wife home and save his failing
marriage Lon asks Cleva’s boss to fire her. When she learns that her
employment, and dream of fame, has been terminated she is unable to withstand
the blow and wanders onstage during one of Lon’s performances where she attempts
suicide by swallowing a bottle of acid. The incident ultimately ends their
marriage as she disappears after recovering and the state deems that Lon is unfit
to raise Creighton due to the fact that he is a single father working in the often
unpredictable entertainment industry. The film then shifts its focus to Lon’s
film career as he struggles to gain better roles not to achieve fame or
fortune, but to gain the job and financial security necessary to win back
custody of his son. After finally regaining custody of Creighton, Lon faces yet
more adversity as Creighton adjusts to living with his father and Cleva reappears
and tries to reclaim the boy. Father and son eventually overcome
misunderstanding and estrangement, with Creighton going on to adopt the stage
name ‘Lon Chaney Jr.’ and taking his place in his father’s business. Throughout
the many ups and downs of his varied career and complicated personal life one
constant remains; Lon’s love for his son. Whether arguing with Cleva for their
son’s right to life, scrambling to revive their obviously failing marriage to
provide a complete home, or working grueling hours in thankless roles to ensure
that he regains custody, Lon consistently puts Creighton and his needs first.
While an intriguing biopic, Man of a
Thousand Faces best serves as a testament to parental sacrifice and the
enduring bond between fathers and their children.

A little bit of pixie dust and a lot of love can go a long way

Finding
Neverland: This 2004 film also provides an unusual twist
on the biopic. Finding Neverland
chronicles J.M. Barrie’s process creating his masterpiece Peter Pan and his relationship with the family who inspired him to
write it. The story begins with Barrie (Johnny Depp) meeting his widowed
neighbor, Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Kate Winslet), following the successful debut
of his latest show. The film then follows the evolution of the pair’s
relationship as they become deeply close friends and Barrie takes on the role
of surrogate father to Sylvia’s four young sons (Freddie Highmore, Nick Roud,
Joe Prospero, and Luke Spill). Despite protests from his suspicious wife (Radha
Mitchell) and Sylvia’s skeptical mother (Julie Christie), Barrie continues to
spend the majority of his time with the family, and begins to write a story
based upon a fantasy version of their lives that will become Peter Pan. When Sylvia finally succumbs
to lung cancer at the film’s close she makes a provision in her will naming
Barrie and her mother as the boys’ co-guardians, a role that Barrie gratefully
accepts and promises to fulfill to the best of his ability. Like Man
of a Thousand Faces, Finding Neverland takes the standard biopic tropes and
moves beyond them to tell a truly original story that conveys both the transformative
power of imagination and the importance of family. Although Barrie is not the
boys’ father, over time he develops a bond with each of them that is nothing
short of paternal as he shows genuine interest in their lives and teaches them
about the importance of holding onto childhood and living life to the fullest,
even in the face of loss. The film’s unconventional story sheds light on the
ways in which parental figures can play just as crucial a role in children’s
lives as their actual parents and shows that parental figures and role models
can be found in the unlikeliest of places.